Tunbridge Wells Borough Council has issued a fresh reminder that its call for sites for the Local Plan review will close at midnight on Monday 26th October 2026. The reminder, published on 22nd October, leaves only a few days for residents, landowners, businesses and developers to submit land for possible future development.
The exercise is broader than housing alone. The council is seeking possible land for employment, community facilities, leisure, green space and other uses as it reviews its recently adopted Local Plan. A submitted site will be assessed, but it does not obtain an allocation or planning permission simply by being put forward.
I would not overlook this deadline if you have land that could realistically accommodate development. The council says housing need under the revised standard method is now around 1,098 dwellings a year, compared with 678 under the figure used for the adopted plan. That is a material change in the evidence the review will need to address.
Why the Tunbridge Wells call for sites matters
The council’s reminder of 22nd October confirms the revised midnight deadline. The call for sites began on 11th May 2026 and was subsequently extended to 26 October. The exercise forms part of a Local Plan review intended to look at growth and development across the borough from 2029 to 2044.
Tunbridge Wells only adopted its Local Plan 2020 to 2038 in December 2025. That plan included a commitment to begin an early review because the resulting development strategy provided for a shorter housing land supply than had originally been intended. The new evidence on housing need has added importance to that exercise.
The council’s official call for sites page says it must consider all available options if it is to assess whether the borough can accommodate the revised level of need. It has not, however, announced that every submitted parcel will be suitable or that every development requirement can necessarily be met within the authority’s boundaries.
Housing requirement rises to around 1,098 homes a year
The headline numbers explain why this is more than routine consultation paperwork. The borough council says its revised standard-method housing need is approximately 1,098 dwellings per annum, a substantial increase from the 678 homes per annum figure used for the newly adopted Local Plan.
The increase is a figure for housing need, not an adopted site-by-site distribution, and it is not a decision to approve a particular development. The review will need to consider the practical capacity of land, planning constraints, infrastructure and other evidence before it arrives at a strategy.
Importantly, the council also says requirements for employment, education, health and other infrastructure are not yet fully established. The call for sites could therefore help identify land for schools, business premises or community services as well as places for new homes. Looking only at residential plots would miss part of its purpose.
For anyone assessing land promotion opportunities, this creates a strong reason to provide credible information on actual capacity and delivery. A simple red line on a map may identify an opportunity but does not answer how development would work, who controls the land or what supporting investment would be required.
Which sites can be put forward
The council invites submissions from individual residents, businesses, landowners, developers, agents and other organisations. You do not need to be a major housebuilder to take part. The submission process can cover a range of proposed uses, including housing, employment, leisure, public open space and nature conservation.
The call for sites also specifically welcomes land for Gypsy and Traveller pitches and Travelling Showpeople plots. Those requirements can be overlooked in general development discussions, but they form part of the wider evidence a Local Plan may need to assess.
Landowners should identify known constraints early. These might include access, flood risk, ecology, heritage, landscape, neighbouring uses or the availability of utilities. The existence of constraints does not automatically answer every question about potential development, but failing to disclose them can undermine the usefulness of the submission.
The exercise should not be confused with a planning application. A call for sites is intended to gather potential choices for assessment. It is a strategic evidence exercise, not a mechanism for obtaining outline or full planning permission without the normal processes.
What applicants need to submit before midnight
The submission guidance asks for contact information, ownership details, the location of the land, and the existing and proposed uses. A separate form is needed for each site if more than one parcel is being promoted.
A clearly defined site boundary is essential. The council accepts a spatial data file, a boundary drawn using its digital mapping tool, or a PDF site location plan. It indicates that an Ordnance Survey plan at approximately 1:1250 scale is preferred for a plan submission, with a north arrow and the boundary clearly shown.
The council warns that a submission without the location and boundary information cannot be assessed. Supporting documents explaining planning history, known development potential or site constraints can also be supplied. The online form is the preferred submission route, although the council offers a form through its planning policy team for people unable to use the portal.
The practical deadline is midnight on 26th October 2026. Do not confuse it with any earlier published deadline or assume that the council will provide a further extension. Anyone submitting late on the final evening should also allow for possible problems with documents, uploads or the online form.
A worthwhile call for sites submission is specific enough for officers to understand what is actually being offered. If ownership, access, availability or the shape of the parcel is unclear, a proposal may be much harder to judge against realistic alternatives.
How sites will be assessed
The council says submitted land will be considered for suitability, availability and deliverability. Site visits, sustainability checks and input from statutory consultees may form part of that work. The resulting assessments will feed into the Strategic Housing and Economic Land Availability Assessment, often abbreviated to SHELAA.
That assessment is evidence used to help prepare a Local Plan. It does not automatically allocate land or establish the acceptability of a future planning application. Even a site considered potentially developable would still need to be weighed against alternative sites, environmental constraints and the emerging planning strategy.
Developers should also distinguish promotion from permission. A site can be entered into the call for sites database without acquiring permission to build, and the later plan-making process may produce a different conclusion from a promoter’s preferred use or capacity.
The council says details of sites and assessments will be published as the review progresses. It also warns that submissions cannot be treated as confidential in their entirety. People promoting sensitive opportunities should therefore understand the public nature of the process before submitting material.
What the deadline means for current applications
The existing Local Plan was adopted in December 2025 and does not cease to operate because the council is starting a review. Present planning applications are still assessed under the applicable statutory framework, current development plan and relevant material considerations.
Nor should the higher housing need figure be presented as a new site allocation. The review is still gathering potential land, and the council has yet to choose a final strategy for accommodating future housing and other development. Planning Geek’s explanation of emerging local plans sets out why stage and evidential weight matter.
The immediate news is the closing window, not a decision to develop particular land. The call for sites remains open until midnight on 26th October 2026, and the council’s published figures explain why the review could be consequential for a wide range of sites and land uses across Tunbridge Wells.
0 Comments